All About Hunting in Montana...

FWP Web Site Sports New Fish and Wildlife Pages

By Gloria Wester

W!VG Staff

Mooneye is a species of fish found in Montana. If you want to see what it looks like, check out the new Fish and Wildlife section of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ (FWP) Web site.

Montana residents and nonresidents can learn about the state’s fish and wildlife on the newly launched Web site section at fwp.mt.gov, which we found fairly easy to navigate. It serves as the reference on how FWP manages the state’s fish and wildlife species.

Viewers will find information on conservation, management, rehabilitation, nongame wildlife, species of interest, and access to licenses and permits for wildlife possession, exotic species and ponds.

“The goal is to put similar content in the same place to make it easier for the public to browse and find what they need,” said Ron Aasheim, FWP spokesman.

The new pages narrate the story of conservation in Montana, then allow users to delve deeper into subjects of special interest. Users can learn about species conservation in general, or learn in detail about the conservation efforts relating to a species of special interest.

There is an extensive section on birds and bird monitoring, research, habitat conservation, education and associated activities. Teachers and home-schoolers can find a wealth of opportunity in the Kids Guide — Discover Montana’s EcoSystems in a related section.

Viewers will find that 241 birds have been sighted in Montana through 2007. Readers will want to enlarge the page in order to see all of the species. The list elicits oohs and aahs.

“FWP’s new fish and wildlife Web pages are bursting with interesting facts, great photos and access to the conservation and management plans that guide FWP’s field work today,” Aasheim said.

The site reviews Montana’s nongame wildlife species and what is being done to conserve them, how to live safely and comfortably with wildlife, or how to locate a map of a wildlife management area, the date it opens and what you can expect to find there.

“It is also easier now to locate new opportunities to comment on decisions that are going to be made soon that relate specifically to nongame issues,” Aasheim said. “Future Fisheries Improvement Program grant applications and bison management are open to comment.”

A section on diseases, health and wildlife research projects will be available soon, promises Aasheim.

To check out FWP’s new Web section, go to fwp.mt.gov and click Fish and Wildlife on the top navigation bar.

FWP Reviews Seventy-Five Years of Wildlife Restoration

Early in the first half of the 20th century, almost total responsibility for natural resources fell on the shoulders of those who purchased licenses to hunt and fish. Hunting and fishing license revenue was the only stable funding for newly-formed state agencies charged with restoring and managing states’ fish and wildlife.

Then, in 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act, known then as the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act, became law. Pittman and Robertson are the names of the two senators who sponsored this federal legislation to restore America’s wildlife populations.

The Pittman-Robertson Act, known to many simply as P-R, provides critical, sustained funding for state fish and game agencies across the U.S. via a national excise tax on hunting and shooting equipment. State fish and game agencies can access the funds generated by the excise tax for wildlife restoration projects. The state pays a 3:1 match. For every $1 of nonfederal money a state fish and game agency spends, $3 in P-R funds is available.

P-R is responsible for contributing more than $185 million to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ (FWP) wildlife management activities since 1941. That is a direct legacy from the sportsmen and women of America. It includes:

• Habitat protection and hunter access — the establishment and expansion of game ranges and wildlife conservation areas across the state which currently total in excess of 830,000 acres,

• Administration — coverage for the personnel and operations necessary to administer FWP’s Wildlife Division and its programs,

• Survey and inventory — ongoing surveys for game species that are necessary in order to establish population trend data and annual hunting quotas, and

• Hunter education — classroom instruction to over 6,400 students certified at 398 hunter education and safety classes annually (2010 data).

In addition to core wildlife programs, the consistency of P-R funding over the years has made it possible for FWP to plan and execute long-range studies of wildlife species behavior, population dynamics, and habitat needs. Without this research, wildlife managers in Montana would not have the knowledge base they need to make informed and effective decisions.

Research studies funded in part by P-R include:

• The Garnet Range Mountain Lion Study,

• Black Bear Harvest Research and Management in Montana, and

• Ecology and Management of Mule Deer and White-Tailed Deer in Montana.

These three ground-breaking studies alone represent more than 40 years of field observation and data collection — all made possible in large part by P-R funding.

For 75 years, P-R has been a steady force fueling the restoration and management of fish and wildlife in America. It may be one of the most successful conservation programs in the world.

Montana Wolf Harvest Reaches 60 Percent of Quota

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) reported that about 60 percent of the statewide wolf quota of 220 wolves has been met in Montana’s 2011-2012 wolf hunting season.

A total of 100 wolves were taken during the regular archery and rifle seasons September 3 through November 27. The FWP Commission then extended the wolf hunting season until February 15, or until the statewide quota is met. This season extension resulted in the harvest of an additional 33 wolves as of January 11.

The FWP Commission has removed the requirement for wolf hunters to wear hunter orange during the extended season.

“Hunters may not realize that there are good, accessible areas for wolf hunting remaining, and that there are still open quotas,” said Quentin Kujala, FWP fish and wildlife section chief. “For those wanting to harvest a wolf, now is the time.”

For up-to-date information on the quota status of Montana’s wolf management units, go to the wolf hunting guide on the Hunting page at fwp.mt.gov.

Kujala reminds hunters that a wolf harvest must be reported within 12 hours of harvest by calling 877-397-9453 or 1-877-FWP-WILD. Check the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov for quota updates, or call 1-800-385-7826.

Lion and Trapping Seasons Still Open

Wolf, winter lion hunting with hounds, and trapping seasons continue in Montana where applicable quotas have not been met. Montana’s bison hunting season by special permit closes February 15.

Hunters can track quotas and when hunts close by going to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Web site at fwp.mt.gov, or by calling 1-800-385-7826.

Trappers interested in the 2011-2012 season must obtain a license over the counter before the end of February. Trapping licenses purchased after November 30, 2011, are not valid for bobcat or wolverine.

The last of Montana’s waterfowl and upland game bird seasons and falconry season closed earlier this month.